Irish Women head to Malaysia for World League 2
January 02, 2017
Best of luck to Graham Shaw and the Irish Women's team who head to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ahead of the FIH World League 2 which runs from 14th to 22nd January. The is the side’s first round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup and they will be targeting a top two finish in order to qualify for World League 3, where they could play in either Belgium (21 June-2 July) or South Africa (8-23 July) depending on rankings.
The Green Army will be the second highest ranked team in the tournament as they sit 16th with only Italy, 15th, ranked above them. Ireland will be joined by hosts Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong in Pool B; ranked 21, 33, 37 respectively. Pool A see’s Italy joined by Thailand, Wales and Singapore with rankings of 15, 31, 32 and 43 respectively. The tournament will mark the first opportunity in over a year for the Green Army to earn vital FIH World Ranking points as they bid to climb the rankings once more.
Speaking recently about the upcoming tournament, Graham said “Selection for World League 2 was incredibly competitive showing how much our full squad has grown and developed over the past year. We are looking forward to getting to Malaysia where we will set up a pre camp to prepare fully for the conditions in Kuala Lumpur”. The squad are taking no chances with the testing conditions in Kuala Lumpur where highs can reach 32 degrees centigrade in January along with challenging humidity.
Shaw added “Our No 1 goal for 2017 is qualification for the World Cup as we have not qualified since 2002. Likewise we are very much looking forward to competing at the Eurohockey Championships in Amsterdam, our first time competing in the A Division since 2013. We feel we have a strong squad which must start with a successful World League 2”.
Squad:
1. Ayeisha McFerran- University of Louisville- GK
2. Clodagh Cassin- UCD- GK
3. Hannah Matthews- Loreto- Defender
4. Cliodhna Sargent- Cork Harlequins- Defender
5. Yvonne O Byrne- Cork Harlequins- Defender
6. Shirley McCay- Ulster Elks- Defender
7. Zoe Wilson- Harvestehuder- Defender
8. Lena Tice- UCD- Defender
9. Roisin Upton- Cork Harlequins- Midfield
10. Lizzie Colvin- Loreto- Midfield
11. Gill Pinder- UCD- Midfield
12. Chloe Watkins- Hermes/Monkstown- Midfield
13. Nicci Daly- Muckross- Midfield
14. Katie Mullan- UCD- Midfield
15. Anna O Flanagan- Hermes/Monkstown- Forward
16. Naomi Carroll- Cork Harlequins- Forward
17. Nikki Evans- Hermes/Monkstown- Forward
18. Rebecca Barry- Cork Harlequins- Forward
Non-Travelling Reserves
1. Sinead Loughran- Munchner SC- Forward
2. Emma Russell- UCD- Forward
3. Emily Beatty- KHC Dragons- Forward
4. Ali Meeke- Loreto- Forward
Unavailable For Selection
1. Megan Frazer- Mannheimer HC
2. Deirdre Duke- UCD
3. Chloe Brown- Ards
4. Grace O’Flanagan- Railway Union